Chapter 2
Talia slowed down and stopped in the parking lot of, "M.E. Wright high school?" Dean asked.
"Yep."
"C'mon, what could possibly be wrong at a high school?" he asked agitated.
"What's your problem?" Talia asked.
"It's nothing Talia, there's just no 'damsel in distress' old enough for him at any high school." Sam said climbing out.
Dean glared at him for a second then turned to Talia "So what are we doing here."
"A freshman murdered her father…"
"Okay, what does that have to do with us?" Dean interrupted.
"And she said that she doesn't remember anything from the time school let out to the time she stood over her dead father." Talia said ignoring Dean's commit.
"She's lying." Dean assumed.
"Or maybe it's our kinda thing." She argued back.
"Hey Dean, there might be a hot school teacher fresh out of college." Sam tempted Dean, trying to get him to go along with it.
Dean sat in the car for a moment, "Let's go." He said getting out. He tossed Sam a fake badge and started towards the door.
"Hey where's mine?" Talia asked.
"You don't get one till you steal it off a cop yourself." Dean called over his shoulder.
"So what do I do, just sit in the car and let ya'll mess it up. I don't think so." She said running ahead of him.
"Fine.. you're a student, going with officers, learning how to work in the field, got it."
"I hate to make you feel bad but I believe I'm the one who let you come with us, so don't even. Plus I've been doin' this way longer than you have." Dean said darkly trying to get around her.
"Oh yeah, I just resent you so much cuz you've been doin' this since you were five years old, I've only been doin' this for five months!" Talia said pushing him back slightly.
Dean didn't hesitate, he kicked her off her feet and had a wooden stake hovering over her heart threateningly.
"Dean!" Sam yelled pulling his brother off Talia. Dean didn't look at Sam he just stared darkly into space.
Talia stared at Dean with bewilderment.
"I know you didn't take to kindly to me but, holy shit!" she said getting up.
"I'm sorry Talia. I'm just…I take offence to people who make fun of what I do…what we do. His voice was sincere but his eyes told a different tone.
"Yeah Talia, it's just his time of the year." Sam said smiling at Dean
"Shut up!" Dean smiled back. Talia knew there was a hidden joke but didn't pry and inside they went.
"Taylor McGomery?" asked a man.
"Yes sir, we've got new information on the case and we'd like to talk to her teachers." Dean said drawling his name over and over on a small hand held notebook, pretending to take notes.
"Um…sure, but I didn't catch your names."
"Oh yeah, I'm Officer Rossington and this is Officer Whitey…" Dean was cut off
"And I'm Nancy Wilson, officer in training." Talia said with a smile.
"Okay, just give me a minute officers and I'll be back with her schedule."
Dean looked at her with surprise, "You really do like classic rock, don't you?" she shrugged and smiled back, glad that Dean's temper had died down. The principal came out of his office with a piece of paper.
"Here's Taylor's teachers and classes. I suggest going to Miss.Castor's room. That was Taylor's last class."
"Thank you." Dean said following Sam and Talia out of the office.
"So what do we do now, Miss.Wilson?" Dean mocked her, when they got outside.
"Let's just go talk to her teachers and friends, see if anything was odd about her last week." Talia suggested.
Dean looked down at the room number of Miss. Castor. "This way." He said leading them to the right.
"Oh my god Dean, please could you let us try to find it?" Talia whined, "We've been walking around this school for an hour and you still haven't found a single one of her classes.
"I don't care, you won't be leading me around like…"
"The bitch you are!" Talia finished for him.
Sam stayed in the middle of them physically but mentally he was in his own world trying to find a way to tell Talia that he…
"Are you three lost?" A young woman asked opening the door. "I'm just wondering because this is the fifth time you've past my room in less than fifteen minutes." Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes a shade lighter than Talia, obviously hazel. Her shoulder length brunette hair tumbled down her back. She was wearing jeans and school spirit shirt. Dean's eyes grew a little then suddenly went narrow.
"Are you a teacher?" he asked clearing his throat.
She nodded with a smile, "Yep, straight out of college, only twenty-six years old. It's Miss. Castor." She put a hand out a hand.
"Officer Rossington, this is Officer Whitey, and this is a student officer, Nancy Wilson." Dean said pointing to his comrades.
"Oh wow, that's so cool. You have the same name as the guitarist from the band Hearts." Miss.Castor said to Talia. "Oh, I mustn't forget my manners: What seems to be the problem Officers?"
"We'd like to know what you know about Taylor McGomery." Sam finally spoke up.
Suddenly a young Asian girl popped out of the room.
"No offence Miss.Castor, but I think I'd know more about Tay than you."
"Kathy, if they wanted to talk to you they would have. Go back in and finish your assignment."
"No." Sam said calmly, "I'd like to hear what she has to say." Kathy's eyes lit up a little.
"Okay I guess, I'll get back to class." Miss.Castor said heading back inside.
"What's the rush. I'm sure you have plenty to say too." Dean said catching her before she went in, "If you think of anything, give m…us a call." He handed her a small business like card and she walked in.
Talia slapped Dean upside the head. "Is that your 'ho, ho, ho card' it being so close to Christmas?" She asked sarcastically
"Nope. Gotta go through Thanksgiving first, it's only November 21." Dean answered with a smile.
"Thank you Kathy. We're gonna do the best we can to get her out." They turned as Sam said goodbye to the teenager.
"K. Catcha on the flip side." Kathy said going back into the class room.
"It took you that long to ask her questions?" Talia and Dean asked in sync.
"Well if you two had been listening instead of being at each other's throats then you'd know."
"Know what?" they asked together.
"Let's go to the library." Sam said walking away.
"Why?" they asked again following him.
"I'll explain on the way."
Chapter 3
Sam walked into the city library.
"M.E. Wright? Where have I heard that?" Dean asked pointing to the name.
"It's the same name as the school." Talia answered following Sam. They saw him talking with a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair. She wrote something down on apiece of paper, then Sam turned back towards Talia and Dean.
"Ya know, I've been waiting for you to finally hit on someone but I meant in a bar, not a library." Dean said giving his brother a fake look of disgust.
"Dean it's a list of books about the school and city."
"Hey whatever man, I don't know what this has to do with Taylor."
"Well according to Kathy, Taylor was an A student, really nice, and the best friend anyone could ask for, but Kathy says that day Dale McGomery was murdered Taylor seemed dark.?"
"So you think she might have been possessed by something at the school, okay, but what and why?" Dean asked
"That's why we're here." Sam said handing him and Talia a text book each and taking one himself.
"Sam I don't think anything's wrong with that high school or this city." Dean said.
"Something has to be wrong." Sam argued.
"Maybe something is wrong, it's just to resent to be in an old text book." Talia said heading towards a computer. She searched the high school and read an article with the Winchesters reading over her shoulder. Talia turned around to face them when they were finished.
"See I told you it was to resent." She said smugly.
"Well let's see what we can find out about Michelle Emma Wright." Sam said feeling a little proud that they might have found a cause.
Talia typed it up and the three of them were lost in words words again. When they had all finished they faced each other.
"Looks like we now have a suspect and a motive." Dean said.
"What, you've played cop so much you think you are one?" Talia laughed.
"What, you've played cop so mu…Shut up!" Dean mocked her.
"I think it's time we talked to Taylor." Sam said ignoring their argument, and walking towards the exit.
"Taylor McGomery." The guard called opening her cell. A shaky girl wobbled out. She walked slowly into the interrogation room.
"Here she is." The guard said leaving Sam, Dean, and Talia with her.
Taylor's eyes had bags under them, their lovely brown was covered up by a cloud of darkness, yet a drop of innocence was still visible.
"Um…Taylor, I know you've been here for a few weeks but do you mind telling us what happened?" Sam asked in his normal tone of sincerity. She stared off.
"Hello?" Dean waved.
"Don't treat me like a child. I know I'm only fourteen but this god forsaken hell hole can change anyone's outlook on the world." She said darkly. "I've already told the cops my story and nobody believes me."
"Don't worry. We will." Sam urged her.
"Okay." She sighed heavily, "The last bell rang and I went to the bathroom. I met up with my friend Kathy and she headed for the parking lot because I was gonna give her a ride home. Well I was about to leave the bathroom when everything went black. Next thing I know I'm standin' over my dad, with blood all over my hands and he's got a knife stuck in him." She put her head down and wept keeping as silence as possible.
Sam and Dean gave each other worried glances. Talia sat down by her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"You're not alone. All three of us have lost a parent, and I can't see my mom because of…certain personal problems I guess you'd call it."
"Yeah," surprisingly it was Dean who jumped in, "My mom died twenty-four years ago from this Friday, and our…my dad kinda missing awhile back." Talia looked at him with sympathy. Taylor looked up at them and Dean gave her a comforting smile.
"Don't worry. We'll get out of here, I promise."
Climbing back into the car Sam and Talia were throwing out suggestions while Dean was lost in his own thoughts.
"I donno. What do you think Dean?" Sam said.
"Hun?" Oh, the girl. I don't think she did it. I think Michelle's ghost did."
"So now do you believe me when I said this is our kinda thing." Talia remarked smugly.
"In 1983 there was a school shoot out almost like was a Columbine thing, right?" Dean said ignoring Talia.
"Yeah, and Michelle Emma Wright was murdered along with 241 other students…"
"But the only difference was her body was never found." Dean finished for Sam.
"Uh hu."
All sudden Talia spoke up, "I think Michelle might of struck again." She said, pointing to a T.V store that was playing the news.
Dean stopped the car and all three of them inspected the TVs.
"Thirty-nine year old, Taylor Page was murdered by his fourteen year teenage son yesterday afternoon. Dennis Page says he doesn't remember anything from the time school ended to the time he was standing over his father…" The reporter said.
"Does that sound familiar?" Talia asked.
"A little too familiar." Dean said darkly heading back to the car.
Chapter 4
"Dean are you still researching?" Talia asked walking towards him. He quickly shut off the computer, "Oh, you wanna be like that hun?"
"It's just some personal stuff, ya know."
"Mom, or dad?" she asked knowing what he meant.
"Meg." He answered. She gave him a puzzled look, "Sorry, if you want to know about her you gotta talk to Sammy."
"Any new leads on our job?"
"Yeah, I think the next two people we need to talk to are Bobby Fret, and Derik Smith."
"Who are they?" Sam asked walking in.
"Bobby Fret was friends with the first two victims and Derik Smith was Michelle's boyfriend." Dean explained grabbing a gun and his jacket.
"What's that for?" Sam asked.
"I've got Bobby, and if I'm right, he was part of the shoot out, and that means he's on Michelle's hit list."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Sam asked.
"No. Why don't you talk to Derik and Miss.Wilson can have a shot at stopping the spirit." He said tossing a lighter and salt to Talia.
"Okay let's talk this through. Twenty-three years ago, there was a shoot out at Rocky Mountain high killing Michelle…"
"And now she's out for revenge." Dean and Sam conversed walking out of the motel with Talia close behind.
"Hey, don't get hurt." Sam said getting out.
"Don't worry Sammy. C'mon it's me." Dean said in return.
"Right…I'll call you in fifteen minutes."
Dean gave him a small glare the put the car in drive.
"So, what's your plan?" Talia asked
"I donno. I guess I'll try to stall Michelle long enough for you to salt her bones and burn them."
"That's your big plan?" she laughed.
"Hey you should look at this as a complement. I am putting my life in your hands, for the second time, might I add." He said pulling into the high school parking lot.
"Yeah but I bet you won't put Sam's life in my hands."
"No offence but there's only one person in this world I trust with that boy's life and I'll give you a hint, it ain't exactly me."
"Your dad?" he nodded. She got out and before he could drive off she said, "Don't sell yourself short, Dean. I mean you did pull him out of a fire twenty-four years ago from tomorrow." She winked then turned and head for the door.
Dean smiled then went his own way.
"Who are you?" asked a middle-aged man with short balding hair.
"I'm Officer…Whitey. I'm working on the Denver shoot out case. I know you were Michelle Wright's boyfriend. Could you tell me what you remember about her and that day in '83?" Sam asked.
"I don't know about that day but yeah, I was Michelle's boyfriend. She broke up with me the weekend before it happened. I was a wreak and didn't go to school that day. When I first heard she'd died I was happy. Then…I was sad…I loved her." Tears began to weld in his eyes.
"Thank you." Sam said leaving Derik Smith to cry.
"You Bobby Fret?" Dean asked pulling up next to a tall broad man.
"Who wants to know?" answered a deep voice.
"I'm Officer Rossington, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about the shoot out that happened in '83?"
"What? Cops are all interested again, now that two of the shooters are dead?"
"I'm guessin' you must be the third, hun?" Dean inquired giving that dark look he does when he knows he's struck oil.
"Prove it. And if you want to stay in one piece then I suggest you stay out of other's people business." He spat.
"It's not me you should be worried about." Dean slugged him in one quick motion. Suddenly Talia came into view with Sam running next to her. Before either brother could stop her, she shot Bobby in between the eyes causing blood to splash all over Dean.
"Talia! What the hell!" he yelled yanking the gun out of her hands. He looked her in the eyes, "Michelle?" she kicked him then slammed him into a wall. The crack of his collarbone breaking made her turn tail and run.
"Dean!" Sam yelled striding towards his brother.
"How many times are we gonna have to save your girlfriend's ass?" Dean asked, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"She's not my girlfriend! And I've had to save your ass way more times than we've saved her's." Sam remarked helping his brother up.
"Let's not start this again, asylum," he coughed, "And you can't use that excuse, we've been watching each other's backs for almost twenty-four years and she's only been with us for a few months." Dean said not liking his brother's help but not dismissing it.
"Call it whatever you want, evil truck," Sam coughed back "She doesn't get in as much trouble as you do."
"Let's just go save her…again." Dean was standing on his own. As they walked back to the car he added, "What do you mean Evil Truck?"
"If I hadn't told you where to go you'd be dead." Sam said.
"So you might as well count the time we went back home, if I hadn't gone back in there who knows what would've happened."
"Sorry to bust your bubble, but mom takes that one."
"Shut up!"
"But when we were on the plane I saved both of us as well as the rest of the people on the there."
"Shut up!"
"What? Ain't got nothin' else to say?"
"No, I just don't want to argue." Dean stumbled ahead while Sam laughed at him struggling.
"We should take you to the doctor." Sam suggested.
"No. I don't wanna be saved by another faith healer."
"Oh, so you admit that you were saved."
"Shut up!"
"Is that the only word in your vocabulary?"
"No! Shut the HELL up!"…
Chapter 5
"Wow. I like this body much better than anyone else I've been in." Michelle hissed examining Talia. She stood in the dark street, eyeing the apartment complex.
"Pay back time." She whispered walking towards it following a man inside…
"Okay, do you know who she's headed for next?" Dean asked thinking out loud. They were passing the same stop sign for the fifteenth time.
"Well, we know that Michelle is avenging her death so she must be going after…"
"Someone who was part of it." Dean finished.
"Yeah, the first person was Dale McGomery, he was in charge of it. He got two of his buddies to go with him…"
"Taylor Page and Bobby Fret. He named his daughter after his best friend. I feel sorry for that guy, he had one chick name."
"I don't understand. Why is she gonna kill again? Everyone who was part of it she already killed. Shouldn't her spirit be at rest?" Sam asked confused.
"No Sammy…"
"No what?"
"Not everyone from the shoot out is dead…"
"What are you talking about?"
"Her ex-boyfriend, first love, ya know…"
"Derik Smith? He was sick that day. Hell I even checked the records, he wasn't there." Sam argued.
"Yeah well you didn't even know Talia was possessed so forgive me if I doubt you more than myself right now."
"Wow she really pissed you off hun?"
"Ya think?" Dean glared then went on, "If it is him, I wanna know what he did. In the past, spirits always save the biggest bitch for last." Dean thought out loud.
"What do you want?" asked the irritated voice of Derik Smith.
"I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the school shoot out in '83?" Talia asked him.
"No offence but you guys suck. I just had a fifteen minute interview with Officer Whitey and I'm not sayin' anymore 'till I call my lawyer." He said closing the door.
Talia kicked the door back open and stomped in.
"Who the hell are you."
"You ready to go Sammy?" Dean asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Sam answered staring at the apartments. They got out a headed towards the door.
"Excuse me. Can I help you?" asked a young teenage boy.
"Yes," Dean said flipping his fake badge out, "We're here to talk to Derik Smith. It's okay we know where he lives."
Sam and Dean made their way up stairs and turned left on the third floor. They came to number 242 and saw the door was closed but broken.
"What did I tell you?" Dean said pushing the creaking door ajar and gripping tightly to the pistol he had pulled out. Slowly he walked in Sam following closely.
"You see that?" Sam asked pointing to the red blotched stains covering the carpet and walls.
"Yeah." Dean whispered pulling around a corner. The gun fell from his hands as he tackled the only body besides Sam standing up. Dean slugged his foe while Sam rushed to a chair in the center of the room.
"Talia?" he asked shaking her gently. "Are you okay?" he brushed her matted hair out of her face.
"Mmm…Hey Sammy." She smiled up at him weakly. Relieved Sam cut her bonds, and helped her to her feet.
Dean stood a foot away shaking his hand and grabbing his shoulder, "Damn that hurt a little." He looked up at them and saw Talia clinging to Sam for dear life. Dean grabbed the left over rope and hog tied Derik then headed out the door with his cell phone in his hand.
"Thank you guys so much." Taylor said giving the Winchester brothers one final hug.
"No problem." Dean said with a wink, keeping his left shoulder out of the way.
"Did Derik really do that to Michelle?"
"Yeah." Sam answered, "He and your dad as well as Taylor Page and Bobby Fret did the shoot out and Derik raped and killed Michelle for breaking up with him. Now twenty-three years later he killed his buddies for god knows what."
"It doesn't matter now, hun." She said. Sam and Dean knew she was trying to cover up her feelings but they didn't bother her about it.
"Do you have a place to stay?" Talia asked finally speaking up.
"Yeah, I'm stayin' with Kathy." Taylor said pointing to the short Asian running towards them.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she yelled practically jumping on Sam.
"It was nothing." He said prying Kathy off of him.
She turned to Taylor, "You are so right. He does look like Jared Padalecki,"
"Didn't I tell you and he looks like Jensen Ackles." Taylor said pointing to Dean. Kathy's eyes grew wide then she linked arms with Taylor.
"Thank you guys. Catcha on the flip side." They walked off giggling.
"What the hell is it with teenage girls and those two guys?" Dean asked out loud.
"Uh…they're HOT!" Talia answered getting into the car, "Have you ever seen them? I don't think even you could look at them and not say they're good looking."
"I think I could resist." Dean said surly.
"Yeah Talia the only guy he ever said that about was Tim Curry in fishnet hose." Sam laughed.
Dean looked at Sam horrorstricken.
"What?" Talia yelled
"Wait a minute…if you think they're hot does that mean you think I'm hot?" Dean asked changing the subject.
"Not a chance in hell!"
Chapter 6
"Derik Smith committed suicide last night." Sam read from the paper.
"That's good." Dean nodded offering Talia a donut.
"What are you talking about?" she asked "We didn't save anyone."
"I disagree, ya see we saved two innocent teenagers from a life long jail sentence and Michelle's spirit is at rest as well as her body."
Talia looked at him softly "That was deep Dean. I'm surprised." Dean glared then grabbed his keys.
"Ready to go?" he said more than asked while walking out the door, Sam and Talia followed.
"I've heard that tone of voice before." Sam said to Talia as they walked out to the parking lot.
"Are you talking about what he said?" She asked climbing into the back seat.
"No! What you said about him being deep…Oh yeah, it was when I gave that speech about how you and I will always be a team or somethin' like that." He said to Dean
"Remember Dean, that was when I had to go to Indiana to save you."
Dean reached over and turned up "Crazy On You"-Heart.
"What Sammy, sorry I can't hear you."
"I left and you got yourself in trouble."
"Shut up! You've already used that one…wait a minute, didn't you meet Meg on your little epiphany?" This time Dean looked smug while Sam glared.
Talia could sense the tension and she dug through her bag.
At the sound of music coming from the back made Sam and Dean forget their argument.
"Turn that damn thing off!" They commanded her together.
"Mmm…No! "She cranked up the volume on the video camera, and Dean turned up the radio.
"Ya know, it might be better if you used your words and not music." Sam said turning the radio down and taking the camera from Talia. "Use your words." He said calmly. Dean glared.
"Words not glares." Sam said still calmly.
Dean looked back at Talia.
"Okay, I gotta word for you," he said "Shut Up!"